We have been slacking on our fishing reports, and for that we are sorry. Our twins have been home for a little over year and boy what a year it has been! But we are back and promise to keep everyone up to date!
September 1st is opening day of Gag Grouper season with a 24 inch minimum and a 2 per person limit. Unfortunately the season has been shortened this year and ends in the middle of November. But there is still plenty of time to get your fix!
We tend to troll for the Gags in Tampa Bay this time of the year. Big Rapala divers are a good choice, I like the Rapala x-rap personally. Rapala makes these from 10 ft divers to 40 ft or more, every size is good to have in your tackle arsenal. Although they can be very expensive, if they are rigged and used correctly, they can be very productive .
We like to troll everything. Channel ledges, artifical reefs, natural bottom and everything in between. This is why different size plugs are so important, as we have artifical reefs in 10 ft of water and the Skyway shipping channel which can be up to 80 feet or so. The key is to be bumping the structure, Gags are very aggressive and are usually caught on a reaction bite. Wether it be the plug just vibrating or bouncing off of the structure that results in the Grouper striking it.
The fun begins after the Gag hits your lure, pound for pound the Hardest fight fish in the bay. These fish are extremely strong and aggressive which makes for a intense fight, literally man vs. Beast. To top it all off they are definitely on the top of the list for table fare, absolute beautiful fillets.
We have about 2 and a half months this year to catch these amazing fish. Give us a call today to get your Grouper fix!
Tight lines, Capt. Wes Wildman
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